Inside The Bills

Bill Polian used a first round draft pick on Jerry Hughes three years ago. And the former GM of the Colts and the Bills says the veteran linebacker “turned the corner” last year in terms of his development.

Polian appeared on The John Murphy Show Monday night to talk about the draft and the Bills trade for Hughes last week. After watching the former first rounder in his first three years with Indy, Polian said Hughes showed significant improvement last season.

“Last year, as I watched him in Indianapolis, I really felt that he turned the corner,” Polian said. “He became much more assertive. He was flying to the ball. He was doing all of the things we thought he could do when we drafted him. And that’s fine. He was in his third year-that’s when they should start to contribute. He did a really good job of it. I think the light went on for him, as the saying goes.”

Polian, a six time NFL Executive of the Year, believes there’s a role for Hughes to play in Buffalo’s new defensive system.

” As a rush linebacker in Buffalo’s new ¾ or hybrid defense, you got a guy who can get up the field and get to the passer, and put pressure on the passer and that’s something they need,” he said. “He was mis-cast as a ¾ outside linebacker in Indianapolis because he has a really hard time being a five-technique and setting the edge. They want their outside linebackers to be 270-pounds and to be able to bench press that tight end and set the edge, and then rush from there. They want power rushers. And that’s not what Jerry does. He is a slippery, slithery, speedy outside rusher, much like Robert Mathis. He doesn’t have quite the punch that Robert Mathis does, but that’s his style of play.”

The entire interview with Bill Polian is available at Buffalobills.com\johnmurphyshow